Careful For What You Wish For

I have been writing this blog, The College Hardwood, since December 2005.  I can't remember writing a post based specifically on watching one game.  But here I was on an early Sunday afternoon in Columbia, South Carolina watching the entire Fordham vs. UMass game on the NBC Sports Network.   The Minutemen absolutely pasted the Rams 90-52.  It was how the Rams played or didn't play that inspired me to write this post.

So many things I saw Fordham do on the court, or actually not do, I had seen before.  Players not moving without the ball on offense while waiting for their best player, who is dribbling at the top of the key, to "create" as he finally makes his one on one move to the basket.  Too much dribbling, too many bad shots, too many three pointers instead of working the ball inside.  Hell, no inside game whatsoever.

That's because I had seen it all before.  Fordham's coach is Tom Pecora, who previously coached at Hofstra for nine seasons.  For nine seasons, I had a prime seat to all of Pecora's teams' style of play.

Pecora left Hofstra for Fordham after nine seasons, mainly for two reasons.  One reason was that he was tired of the southern tilt of the CAA.  He felt the Pride never had a fair shot to win in the Colonial and my guess is that he especially felt jaded after the 2005-06 season which ended in a NCAA snub.

Second, Pecora, even the Hofstra administration at the time, wanted to be in the A-10, but there was little hope of Hofstra ever being able to join the A-10.  Fordham gave him an opportunity to be in the A-10 and with his ability to recruit, Pecora felt he could succeed in the A-10.  Fordham saw a coach who, in his last five seasons, had four twenty plus win campaigns and three trips to the postseason.  An amount of success Fordham hadn't seen in ages.  It seemed like a perfect match.

Recruiting has never been a question with Pecora and I certainly believe he has a knack for talent.  Over the years, Pecora has recruited Speedy Claxton, Norman Richardson, Rick Apodaca, Kenny Adeleke, Loren Stokes, Antoine Agudio, Carlos Rivera, Adrian Uter, Aurimas Kieza, Charles Jenkins, Chaz Williams, Halil Kanacevic, Brenden Frazier and Jon Severe.  

Three of those players; Claxton, Richardson and Jenkins have played in the NBA.  There's a good chance that Chaz Williams will make it four. It's an impressive list of talent.  If I had to say who was the top three of Pecora's all time recruits I would say right now Claxton, Jenkins and Agudio.  Chaz is catching up fast though.

And Pecora was successful with Hofstra.  He did have four twenty plus win seasons, three NIT appearances and a .552 won lost percentage with the Pride.  And it did take time for Hofstra to succeed, as Hofstra had losing records in each of Pecora's first three seasons before breaking through with a 21-9 record and a NIT appearance in the 2004-05 season.  So it stands to reason that Fordham fans should be patient with Pecora and let him build a winning program.

Based on the previous paragraph, you would think Pecora would be somewhat successful or his team would show improvement going into his fourth year at Fordham, correct?  Well, halfway through Pecora's fourth season at Fordham, his overall record is 32-75.  The Rams have currently only eight conference wins in those three and half seasons.  His current team is 8-11 and has only one win in conference.

Compare that to his Hofstra teams.  In Pecora's second season, his team went 8-21 and 6-12 in conference.  In Pecora's third season at Hofstra, the team improved to 14-16 and 10-8 in conference.   In Pecora's second season with Fordham, the Rams went 10-19 and 3-13 in conference.  Last season, they actually were worse, 7-24 and again 3-13 in conference.  In Fordham's non conference losses last season, the average margin of loss was sixteen points .  In their conference losses, the average margin was thirteen points.  Sixteen of their twenty four losses were by double digit margins.

This season, they are 7-6 in non conference, which is certainly better than last season, but again the Rams are on pace for only three wins in conference after their 1-5 A-10 start.  In their twelve losses this season, their average margin of loss is sixteen points and they have seven double digit losses.  Three of their five conference losses are by twelve points (home loss to Dayton), twenty four points (road loss to St Louis) and after yesterday's drubbing by UMass, thirty eight points respectively.  Their only win in conference is over winless George Mason.  At this point, there seems to be little or no improvement.

So what are the reasons for Pecora's struggles with Fordham?  I have certainly noted that Pecora can recruit and anyone with a basketball sense can tell you that Frazier and Severe are good ball players.  Well there are a couple of reasons.

The first obvious reason is that the A-10 is stronger than the CAA.  Much stronger. The only exception might have been the 2010-11 season where the CAA had three teams make the NCAA Tournament. And two of those teams, VCU and George Mason are now in the Atlantic Ten.  There are no days off in the A-10 and there are no Towsons (well the Towson we used to know, not the good Pat Skerry teams of now) or Benny Moss' UNCW teams to feast on during the season.  Every team in the A-10 has a lot of talent.

As for the facilities argument, I don't buy that.  The Rose Hill Gym doesn't seat a lot of people, but it's a nice gym and if the Rams play well, it would sell out regularly (which it doesn't) and then you could have an argument for a larger arena.

But there's another point to be made.  One, if you look a little closer under the hood and if you watched the Hofstra games in person, you would know why Fordham can't compete with the UMass', VCU's,  St Louis' or even Rhode Island.

I'll be blunt.  It's the Xs and Os on offense.  It's the coaching.

I want to take the time to note that what is about to be written here is not personal.  I have heard a lot of good things about Pecora over the years, that he is a nice guy.  I have that based on several people I hold in high regard.  What I am writing about is strictly from a coaching standpoint.

Defensively, I have never had a problem with Pecora.  Pecora's teams could always rebound.  The Rams are currently 58th in the country in rebounds.

His Hofstra teams were also pretty decent defensively, as they played just about always man to man.  My favorite game of Pecora's tenure was the CAA Tournament Semifinal vs. George Mason.  In the final twenty minutes, the Pride held the Patriots to just sixteen second half points, Tony Skinn nut punch and all, as Hofstra beat Mason convincingly 58-49.  Mason shot four of twenty three in the second half. Every Pride fan in attendance thought Hofstra was going to get an at large based on that dominant second half performance.

After the 2006 NCAA snubbing, the Pride were favored to win the CAA in the 2006-07 season.  In the 2006-07 season, they led the CAA shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.  But the Pride only finished third in the CAA that season and got upset in the CAA Quarterfinals by George Mason, a team they had dominated earlier in the regular season.

So what happened?

Well that 2005-06 team that went 26-7 was truly special.  Not only did you have Stokes, Agudio and Carlos Rivera, easily the best three guard group in the history of Hofstra, but you also had a very good frontcourt of Uter and Kieza.  Uter just missed averaging ten points per game, otherwise you would have had a starting lineup that all averaged in double figures in scoring.  Uter and Kieza could also rebound (both were in the top ten in rebounding in the CAA that season) and Uter perfectly played the part of the dominant shot blocker as he was fourth in the CAA in blocks per game.  It was a balanced offensive team, where all five players could score, as well as a very solid defensive team.

Uter and Kieza graduated after the 2005-06 season.  Pecora didn't have any suitable replacements as Chris Gadley, Arminas Urbutis, Mike Davis Sabb and Ziggy Sestokas literally combined couldn't match the totals of Uter and Kieza from an offensive or rebounding standpoint.  It was basically Stokes, Agudio and Rivera carrying that team in 2006-07.

In that quarterfinal game against George Mason, Pecora inexplicably started Sestokas at the four, along with Davis Sabb, despite Mason's tall, talented beefy front line of Darryl Monroe and Will Thomas, who outrebounded Hofstra 36-27.  Urbutis would have been a better choice at the four (and I was saying that before the game started).

As a result, the Patriots jumped out to a fifteen point halftime lead.  The Pride rallied and had a chance to tie late in regulation, but Greg Johnson inexplicably drove the lane down three points, along with two Mason players who inexplicably followed him and put up a wild floater instead of kicking out to an open shooter beyond the arc.  I know.  I was there at Richmond Coliseum that day. The Pride lost 64-61.

In those three seasons with Stokes, Agudio and Rivera, Hofstra was 40-14 in conference but only made the CAA championship game once, in 2006.  In fact, in Pecora's nine seasons, Hofstra only made the CAA championship game once and the semifinals three times.

After Stokes and Rivera left, the Pride struggled the next season, the 2007-08 season, despite the amazing Agudio and the CAA Rookie of the Year, Jenkins.  Agudio would often win games by himself at the end of a game.  Despite Agudio and Jenkins, the Pride finished 12-18, including 8-10 in conference in Agudio's senior season.

The season after, the 2008-09 season,the Pride won twenty one games, including an 11-7 record in conference.  But upon closer look, the record is not truly indicative of how Hofstra did that season.

The Pride started off the season 8-1 (including an early conference win over Towson) and were 8-3 in non-conference games.  One of their wins was over a Division III opponent, SUNY Old Westbury.  Only three of their seven Division I non conference wins came against teams over .500, and two of them, Stony Brook and Manhattan were each 16-14 on the season.  Only a Charleston Classic win over East Tennessee State, an eventual NCAA Tournament team that won twenty three games that season stands out in the non conference schedule.

In conference, Hofstra was 2-7 against teams that finished over .500 in conference; home wins vs. Northeastern and Old Dominion, home and road losses to Drexel, home and road losses to VCU, a road loss to Northeastern, a twenty four point loss at George Mason and a one point loss in the CAA Tournament to Old Dominion.  If you include their two wins over James Madison, who finished 9-9 in conference and 21-15 overall, then the Pride were 4-7 against above .500 teams overall in the CAA.

Then came the 2009-10 season, the freshman seasons for Chaz Williams and Halil Kanacevic and Jenkins was the CAA Player of the Year that season.  Williams and Kanacevic each made the All CAA Rookie Team.  Yet, Hofstra went 19-15 and 10-8 in conference.

Hofstra won only two games ALL SEASON against Division I teams that finished over .500 overall; Fairfield and Northeastern.   All nine of their conference losses, eight in regular season and one in CAA Tournament came against teams above .500 in conference.  Their only wins against teams above .500 in conference were again Northeastern and Drexel.

By the way, all the pictures you see in this article are from the 2009-10 season.

Over Pecora's last two seasons with the Pride, Hofstra's record against teams above .500 in the CAA was 4-16 (including the two CAA Tournament losses).  Four and Sixteen.  This is not the first time I noted this.  I noted this when I was pushing Tim Cluess for head coach of Hofstra. (see how Cluess has worked out for Iona?)

Now think about that record in regards to now playing quality teams in the A-10 every night.  Enough said.

Now we all know what happened after Pecora left.  Chaz and Halil left to go to UMass and St Joe's in the A-10 respectively.  Tim Welsh was hired and basically fired after 30 days on the job due to a DUI arrest. Mo Cassara came in, did a heck of a job in his first season with basically just Charles Jenkins and Mike Moore in an incredibly tough CAA.  Then after a tough second season and the four idiots arrests in his third season after the Pride started 3-2, Cassara was unfortunately fired and Joe Mihalich was hired to replace Cassara.

So what I often hear from friends and college basketball bloggers I follow on Twitter (many of whom follow me as well) is "Imagine if Pecora stayed. Imagine what could have been with Jenkins, Chaz and Halil".  It's something I have thought of many times myself.

Well after yesterday's game and all the evidence I have shown above, I am here to tell you something.  It probably would have been more of the same of the 2009-10 season.

Heck, they went 10-8 together that 2009-10 season in a CAA that was nowhere near as tough as the 2010-11 season where three CAA teams made the NCAA Tournament, two teams won a NCAA game; VCU and George Mason, one team lost to the eventual National Runner up Butler on a buzzer beater; Old Dominon and one, VCU, went to the Final Four.   Perhaps with the addition of Mike Moore and Frazier, who Pecora first recruited to Hofstra, things would have been different.  But what makes you think Pecora would have got more out of them?

Think about what Mo Cassara did without Kanacevic and Chaz in his first year as a head coach on the Division I level.  He took a team, that on paper was not as good as the season before, and he got them to finish four games better in a tougher conference than the season before, and they made it to the CAA Semifinals for the first time since 2006.

And despite what has happened since Cassara's magical first season, I would rather have Hofstra now under Mihalich than with Pecora, considering Mihalich's long, successful tenure at Niagara.  Having watched several of Hofstra's games this season online and one in person, Mihalich's offense is fun to watch.  They actually move without the ball. And he has the Pride already with three wins in conference, a team that was picked to finish last in the CAA and is basically a placeholder until four of Mihalich's players (three transfers) are eligible next season.

I thought that maybe with better talent to recruit since Fordham was in the A-10, you might see Pecora developing a more rounded team.  A team that had inside post play as well as good guards.  A team that would be competitive night in and night out.  I wasn't expecting the Rams to be in the top third of the A-10, but at least respectable, given Pecora's ability to recruit.

And yet, four years later, I see the same things in Fordham games that I did in Hofstra games.  No ball movement, a guard oriented dribble drive offense where the guard stands at the top of the key and tries to "create", while four other players stand around and no post play on offense whatsoever.   Pecora only recruited and developed four good post players at Hofstra; Adeleke, Uter, Kieza and Kanacevic.  He inherited Chris Gaston when he took over Fordham, so he doesn't count.

One frontcourt player he recruited to both Hofstra and then Fordham, Marvin Dominique, barely touched the ball in his two years with the Rams.  Dominique transferred to St Peter's, where he has flourished.  The junior forward averages nearly eighteen points and nine rebounds per game for the Peacocks.

Pecora's teams have basically become guard oriented and have been since the 2006-07 season.  You could get away with it for the most part in the CAA against teams with less talent or with three outstanding guards like Stokes, Agudio and Rivera.  However, the last two seasons at Hofstra showed he couldn't beat good teams when necessary.  The problem is you need good inside post play to balance your offense.   Talented A-10 teams have exploited and exacerbated that with Fordham, especially this season.

Pecora got what he wanted in 2010 when he took the Fordham job, a chance to coach in the A-10.  The problem is that the evidence seems to indicate he bit off more than he could chew from a coaching standpoint.  Being able to recruit talent is one thing. Frazier and Severe are very talented.  However, being able to coach talent in an elite league like the Atlantic Ten is another matter.

What's ironic is that the teams Pecora was trying to get away from in the Colonial; southern based teams like VCU and Mason are now in the A-10. Meanwhile, the CAA is basically now the old America East with a couple of Southern teams sprinkled in.

I had considered writing this for a while, but I held off.  One play on Sunday put me over the edge.  In Fordham's last possession before the half, Pecora had Frazier dribble at the top of the key, while the four other Ram players just stood around.  Finally, one of the Ram bigs came out for a ball screen.  Frazier drove, then tried to pass the ball back.  He threw it away for a back court violation.

It was similar to that 2007-08 season, where time after time Pecora had Agudio run that same play at the end of games. Though my friends Mal, Tieff and I hated that play, Agudio would often succeed (and also would take the shot and not pass back).

But Frazier is not Agudio.  UMass is not the 2007-08 James Madison.  And the A-10 is not the 2007-08 CAA, or the 2008-09 CAA or 2009-10 CAA for that matter.

My guess is that Fordham fans have finally figured this out.  The question is, has the Fordham administration figured that out?

My Top Ten College Basketball Games of 2012 As Seen In Person

Sometimes, you need to get out of the house and just take a drive.  Such was the case Saturday night.  After staying indoors much of the day, I got stir crazy and went out for a bit.  I was supposed to have plans with a friend as well, but they fell through.  The bright side was that it forced me out of the house for a little while.  I got coffee to keep me going so I could write most of this article, money for Sunday's activities and gas for the car.  There's a bright side to everything, even failed plans.

What transpired Saturday night was that it also got me thinking on my year in review.  I had seen about sixty Division I and Division III men's and women's games in the calendar year of 2012.   I got to see several good NCAA Tournament men's teams in VCU, Iona and LIU.  I got to see the #1 women's team in the country, Stanford, play recently against a very gutty #19 South Carolina.  I saw many talented players, two of which ended up in the NBA; Kent Bazemore and Scott Machado.  Finally, I saw many exciting games and ten of them have made my Top Ten Games of 2012, one of which was a late year addition.  I also note some unique things I remember about each game.

Number 10 - St. Peter's vs. Iona -  The Gaels' Leave an Indelible Mark - I know what you're saying, what is a thirty seven point win doing in my Top Ten? Well, it's for the very simple fact that Iona went on a 31-0 run in the second half to turn a close seven point game into a blowout.  It was one of the most awesome displays by one team I had ever seen in a game.  Perhaps the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee was impressed too, as the Gaels eventually got an at large bid to the Big Dance.

What I always will love and now will miss about Iona games since I am now in South Carolina for the most part, is the Iona pep band.  They are an old school band.  They are the only pep band I know that plays Steely Dan's "Peg", a bouncy version of the theme song from "I Dream of Jeannie" and several Earth Wind and Fire songs, which are excellent songs for pep bands.

Number  9 - Iona vs. Manhattan - The Gaels Gain Revenge on the Jaspers - It was the final game of a Hofstra themed tripleheader, culminating at a raucous Draddy Gymnasium.  The Gaels were trying to extract revenge for the Jaspers' amazing come from behind rally at the Hynes Center earlier in the season. Iona would pull away for a convincing 81-71 win that wasn't even that close as the final score indicated.  But the atmosphere and a close first twenty minutes made the evening fun.

That night leaves several indelible memories.  First, you always have to be at Draddy early for a game, otherwise you will end parking in another state.  Thus was the case that night.  Second, the truly bizarre configuration of Draddy resulted in the only game I had ever had a partial, obstructed view of a basketball game.  Third, my little trouper of a color analyst, my now seven year old son Matthew making it through three games on the day.  He was still very much into watching basketball at Draddy that night and was bothered that he didn't have a full view of the game.  That folks is a basketball fan.

Number 8 - Stanford vs. South Carolina Women's Basketball Game - The Cardinal Withstand the Gamecocks in a NCAA Women's Tournament Quality Game - This is the only game from the 2012-13 season that has made my 2012 Top Ten and it was a dandy.  Imagine the 2010 Butler vs. Duke national championship men's game played as a women's game. It was a physical defensive struggle and the South Carolina fans made it a great atmosphere.

Here's the kicker.  It was the second game of a twin bill with the men's game vs. Appalachian State as the first game.  There was a late arriving crowd for the women's game.  How cool is that?  Dawn Staley has slowly but surely built a strong program in Columbia.  And once Frank Martin builds his program at South Carolina, the fans will be there for the men's game too.

Number 7 - Maine vs. Stony Brook - Seawolves win the Regular Season America East Championship - Perhaps the Black Bears-Seawolves game didn't have as large of a crowd of either number 9 or number 8 on my list, but it was still a sold out Pritchard Gym on Senior Day and the game had more meaning than those two games because a conference championship was on the line.  Plus it had a national TV audience thanks to CBS Sports Network.  Seeing the Seawolves win in front of their home crowd and hoist the regular season championship trophy in front of their fans made it extra special.

One of the things I most remember about this game is that legendary broadcaster Don Criqui broadcasted this game.  If you know your basketball from the seventies and eighties, Criqui broadcasted many college basketball games for NBC on Saturdays.  Heck, I remember fondly Syracuse's Roosevelt Bowie, Louis Orr and Don Criqui.  CBS gave the Stony Brook game a very cool retro feel with Criqui there.

Number 6 - Loyola Md vs. Fairfield - In the MAAC, It's Never Over Til It's Over Part Deux -  This game is memorable for me for several reasons- One, I got to go to Frank Pepe's before the game. Two, you had the Evil Black Curtain.  Three, you had a great rally by the Greyhounds late to knock off the Stags on their home court twenty four hours after Manhattan rallied to take down Iona in New Rochelle.  And finally,you had one Jimmy Patsos, quite possibly the craziest cat to coach Division I men's college basketball.  It made for a truly entertaining night in a contest that was televised to a national audience, even if only 2,000 people showed up for the game live.

I will always remember the end of the game.  After Loyola wins, Patsos is so fired up, he's yelling at the Loyola fans. He yanks his tie off and tries to throw into the Greyhounds fan section behind the Loyola bench.  The problem is the tie doesn't go very far.  Doesn't stop Patsos.  He goes behind the bench, picks up the tie, puts it around a Loyola fan and then gives him a hug.  It was a huge win for Loyola, which eventually made the NCAA Tournament by winning the MAAC Tournament.

Number 5 - LIU Brooklyn vs. Wagner - This Isn't Your Father's NEC -  A nationally televised NEC game.  First place in the Northeast Conference on the line.  The defending NEC champs, LIU vs. Team Hurley.  A sold out Spiro Center. Yes, sign me up for that please.  Dandy of a game too as the Blackbirds held off the Seahawks to win.  I truly believe it was the springboard for the eventual second straight NCAA Tournament appearance for LIU Brookyn.

There were several things that stood out at Spiro. First they have a basketball club called the College Hardwood.  How awesome is that!  Second, the Wagner student section did a terrific job that night.  Third, the PA system didn't do such a good job.  It was waaaaaay too loud and the game so needed a pep band there.  Pep band music > Canned music every time.  More schools should take after LaSalle.  The pep band plays the entire night.  No canned music (at least that's what it was at Gola Arena back in December 2005 when I was there for a Hofstra-LaSalle game).

Number 4 - UMass vs. Drexel NIT Quarterfinals - Minutemen Rally to Take Down the Dragons at the DAC - There is nothing like a sold out DAC for a basketball game.  Drexel looked like they were going to again show the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee that they truly messed up by not taking the Dragons, as they went out to a seventeen point second half lead.  But the Minutemen rallied to give the Dragons their first home loss of the season.  It was one hell of a game.

It was memorable for several reasons.  First, obviously a huge UMass comeback down seventeen in the second half that stunned the home Drexel crowd.  Second, it was the night I found out that I didn't get a job in Colorado, which actually worked out better for me.  Third, how often do you get a parking spot literally right in front of the arena?  Yup that was the night.

Number 3 - Manhattan vs. Iona - It's Never Over Till It's Over in the MAAC -  One of the wildest games of the regular season.  The Gaels leading at home in the Hynes Center by seventeen points with seven minutes left.  Manhattan rallies late and hits a three pointer at the buzzer to win.  It was surreal.

This Jaspers-Gaels classic was unfortunately a foreshadow of a problem that Iona would have throughout the season, blowing huge leads.  The Gaels would do this again at Siena later in the regular season.  Finally, Iona blew a huge lead in their first round play in game against BYU.   The sense of "I have seen this before" dread watching the Cougars rally in the second half against the Gaels started from this game against the Jaspers.

Number 2 -  Georgia State vs. George Mason - Byron Allen's Game Winning Shot in CAA Quarterfinals -  You had your classic CAA knockdown rockfight with the Panthers and the Patriots. Georgia State rallies late to tie the game, only to lose in heartbreak fashion with Allen's basket with 3.4 seconds left, which I captured on video from my seat on press row.

What I will always, always remember is Panthers' Head Coach Ron Hunter's emotional post game press conference.  It was truly honest, raw and heartbreaking.  It's a shame that Ron Hunter was only in the CAA a couple of years (Georgia State leaves for the Sun Belt after this season).  I got to meet with him after the press conference and he is genuine, funny and was really kind to Jerry Beach and me. He even joked with us about the IUPUI - Hofstra CBI game seen by only 952 people.  Class act.

Number 1 -  George Mason vs. VCU - The Patriots Stage a Near Impossible Comeback But Fall Short  -  In the second game of the CAA Semifinals, VCU rolls out to a 22-0 lead, then actually extends it to 32-4.  The sold out "neutral" Richmond Coliseum crowd was DEAFENING.  It looks like George Mason is going to be blown out of the building.

But the Patriots didn't fold up their tent.  They actually whittle that twenty eight point lead down to six with three minutes left before eventually losing by ten 74-64.  Yes, there were closer games than this in the countdown.  But considering the raucous "neutral" crowd (yes there were a good number of Mason fans, but it was mostly a pro VCU crowd) and the huge deficit, what George Mason did was nothing less than heroic

What I will always remember is the perspective you get sitting on the court.  I had been going to the CAA Tournament for years starting in the 2002-03 season.  Until this past March, I always sat in the stands.  This time, I was on press row.  You truly don't have an appreciation of how loud a sold out crowd in Richmond Coliseum is until you are on the court.  It was truly an incredible atmosphere.  It was also the last time I would see in person VCU in the CAA.

2012 was a great season college hoops wise.  May 2013 be just as good for all college hoops fans everywhere.  Happy New Year!

Looking Back at 2011-12 - What a Season It Was!

It took me some time to write this article.  In fact, I wrote most of this the day after Kentucky defeated Kansas for the national championship. However, I didn't finish it until today.  I decided I needed some down time, needing to decompress from a very busy and fun 2011-12 college basketball season.  Time away allows you to reflect on something special.    But I didn't realize it was going to be basically three months before I posted this article.

Back in the summer of last year, I made a commitment to write for the Mid Majority's 800 Games Project, as well as write for my site. This past season, I took it upon myself to go to as many mid major Division I games as I possibly could and of course, write about them.  The season was at times exciting, exhausting, frustrating and even disappointing.  But it was never, ever dull.

It started fittingly at Carnesecca Arena, where the trio of my friends Mal, Tieff and I went to see William and Mary take on St John's.  In a microcosm of their season, the Tribe led for a good part of the game only to see the Red Storm come back for the win.  Wins were few and far between for the Tribe this past season.

Then it was onto the Mack Center in Hempstead, where I saw Hofstra use a strong second half surge to defeat LIU.  I wrote two separate recaps for that game, one for my site and one for Mid Majority, the only time I did that this season.  Little did I know, it was only one of ten times that the Pride would win a game on the season.

A couple of weeks later, I made one of my only two overnight road trips on the season, a jaunt up to Rhode Island to see the Legends' Classic subregional in Kingston.   It was really a fun trip.  After watching two entertaining games on Friday, I spent Saturday morning walking through Newport on an uncharacteristically warm November day.  Then I watched Hofstra defeat another eventual postseason bound team in Cleveland State.  I was also one of the few people on the planet to see  Bryant Crowder actually play in a regular season game for the Pride before he left the team.

As my marines, aka the few, the proud, the loyal readers of my site know, my home base is Hofstra.  However, one of the things that was so great about this past season was that I got to see a lot of other mid major teams in the New York City area.  I was at several Fordham games and I made road trips to Manhattan's Draddy Gym and the Spiro Athletic Center for the nationally televised LIU-Wagner game.

New York City metro area basketball has undergone a resurgence the past couple of seasons. LIU, Wagner and Manhattan all stepped up this season.  St John's and Hofstra were very good in the 2010-11 season and should be again in 2012-13.   Stony Brook was on the precipice of making the NCAA Tournament each of the last three seassons and made the NCAA Tournament twice.  And, of course, there was Iona this season.

I saw a lot of Stony Brook this season.  In fact, the Seawolves were undefeated at home when I attended their games. Alas, I was not there for their America East Championship game loss to Vermont due to a work commitment.  Stony Brook was very enjoyable to watch due to their defensive style of play and hustle.

The Seawolves also have one of the best mascots in the country in Wolfie Seawolf and they have done their best to make their games very family oriented.   The Cotton Eyed Joe Kids' dance in the second half is a really nice touch.  I know my son Matthew had a lot of fun going to the Stony Brook games in 2011-12.

I went to eleven Iona games this past season.  One thing is for certain, the Gaels were exciting to watch.  Of those eleven times I saw Iona play, five of those times they scored over ninety points.  They are certainly disciples of the Paul Westhead system and it was great to see the Gaels make the NCAA Tournament.  

One of the unique things about this season was making sure to find time for good food on road trips.  Since Hofstra did not play Delaware on a Saturday this season, I made sure to make a special road trip to Newark for the Blue Hens Barbecue concession stand.   Before the Loyola Md - Fairfield game, we made sure to allow time for a trip to Frank Pepe's pizza in Fairfield.  My older son, Matthew, aka "my color analyst", will tell you the best soft pretzels are at Iona. 

But three things will stand out this season in particular.  Two things, will fondly stand out to me forever.  The third reminds me why I started this blog.

As my readers know, for as long as I have written this blog, I have always sat in the stands.  It's the perspective of a fan (hopefully a knowledgeable one), sitting with his son, his friends, sometimes even his entire family watching a game on Valentine's Day.  There are a lot of advantages to that.  You can get the fans' perspective on the game, full of fun comments.   I went to the Fordham-Xavier game at Rose Hill Gym and I ended up sitting in the Xavier section.  One fan called out Musketeer Center Kenny Frease for his lack of a vertical leap on one play, noting "How can you miss that?! You're seven-foot-twelve!"

For eight years, I had watched the CAA Tournament from the stands in the Richmond Coliseum. But this March, I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream for my ninth CAA Tournament.  The good folks at CAA Sports, Rob Washburn in particular, have followed my site for years and also follow me on Twitter.  I guess they figure I am semi coherent when it comes to covering CAA Basketball.  In late January, I decided to take the plunge and sent an email requesting media credentials to cover the CAA Tournament.  Within a few hours, Rob had granted my request.

After a road trip with Defiantly Dutch that would have made Steve Martin and John Candy proud, there I was on a Friday afternoon on March 2, sitting two rows from the court in my press row seat.  Rob had the good sense of  putting "The Statler and Waldorf of the CAA" next to each other, which made it more fun having the Dutchman next to me.

It was so much fun reading up on the media guides before the games.  It was also a lot of fun meeting new friends such as Rob Canady, Tom Block and Rob Russell to name a few.  It was good to see Brian Mull again, one of the best beat writers around.  Also, I got to see my good friend, Joe Suhoski, aka @VABeachrep, who was there covering the tournament for CAAZone.  Finally, I got to meet in person Mr. CAAHoops himself, Mike Litos.  You couldn't meet a nicer, more knowledgable guy.

The post game press conferences were for the most part wonderful.  Ron Hunter is one of the most honest, intense individuals you will ever meet.  But he couldn't have been more congenial with Dutch and me after his postgame press conference after his team's heartbreaking loss to George Mason.  Blaine Taylor was his usual blunt, funny self.  Shaka Smart had a hilarious comment about Drexel's Darryl McCoy during his press conference.



The two most difficult press conferences were Hofstra's after their resounding loss to Georgia State and Ron Hunter's after Georgia State's heartbreaking loss to George Mason in the Quarterfinals.  During the Hofstra press conference, I asked my only question of any of the three days' worth of press conferences I attended.  I asked Mike Moore and Nathaniel Lester of what they will fondly look back on their careers at Hofstra.  Both gave very thoughtful answers under a difficult circumstance.  Hunter's passionate talk at the beginning of his press conference showed how much he loved his team.

Also, you really don't get an appreciation of how loud a sold out Richmond Coliseum is until you sit on press row.  The evening quarterfinals session and the semifinals of the CAA Tournament were downright raucous, especially when VCU played.   It certainly was not a neutral site with VCU literally right down the road, but it was also certainly a great atmosphere.  With VCU now gone for the A-10, the CAA Tournament will be a completely different experience and likely in a different arena next season.

And there was a lot of excitement in the 2012 CAA Tournament.  There was Byron Allen's game winning shot in George Mason's quarterfinal win over Georgia State (which I recorded above).  ODU, behind Kent Bazemore living up to his giant cardboard cutout,  shot the lights out in their quarterfinal win over Delaware.  And there was the amazing George Mason-VCU semifinal.  The Rams went out to an unreal 32-4 lead only to see George Mason valiantly rally in the second half before ultimately losing.

But once again, I couldn't stay for the CAA Tournament championship game.  This time I was at 30,000 feet watching the championship game on a wireless feed.   More on that later in this article.

I didn't just see men's Division I games this season.  I was able to catch two of Division III St Joseph's, a team that finished with just four losses on the season and only two in conference.  They got their second ever NCAA Divison III Tournament berth with a well deserved at large bid.

There were a lot of women's Division I basketball games this season.  By my count, it was about fifteen games that I saw; four Hofstra games and eleven Iona games.  I even got to see the great Elene Della Donne of Delaware play against the Pride in what was an entertaining game.  Overall, I saw about seventy six Division I and Division III games.

I got to see several good NCAA Tournament teams this season;  Xavier, VCU, Iona and LIU.   It should have been five teams, but the NCAA Selection Committee and their infinite wisdom didn't think a twenty seven win Drexel team, a team that won nineteen games in a row, deserved an at large bid.  Having seen them in person four times, I couldn't have disagreed more.

Good teams also have good players.  To think that I got to see Iona's Scott Machado and Michael Glover on a regular basis was truly a treat.  I found a new appreciation for Drexel's Samme Givens and I was wowed by the athleticism of VCU's Juvonte Reddic, whose explosive drive to the basket against Delaware at the Bob I will remember forever.  But my favorite player, and my son Matthew's favorite player next to Mike Moore, was Stony Brook's Tommy Brenton.  I just love his hard work and his fundamentally sound game.

There were several last second game winning shots that I witnessed this season.  Several, unfortunately, were against Hofstra.  But the two most memorable were Emmy Andjuar's three point buzzer beater to cap a Manhattan 27-7 comeback to defeat Iona and Allen's last second shot against Georgia State.

In fact, here is a list of my top ten favorite games that I covered in person from this season from top to bottom;

• George Mason vs. VCU - CAA Tournament Semifinal.
• Manhattan vs. Iona - The Jaspers 27-7 game ending run capped by a buzzer beater.
• Georgia State vs. George Mason - CAA Tournament Quarterfinal. 
• UMass vs. Drexel - NIT Tournament Quarterfinal.
• LIU vs. Wagner - Nationally Televised NEC First Place Game.
• Iona vs. Manhattan - The Rematch at Draddy.
• St Josephs vs. Iona - Overtime at Hynes on Thanksgiving Eve.
• Siena vs. Iona - Sean Armand's Virtuoso Performance.
• Iona vs. Hofstra - The Pride Surprise the Gaels.
• Loyola Md vs. Fairfield - In the MAAC, It's Never Over Till It's Over.

But as I said, there are three things I will remember most about this season.  First, there was a reason I was 30,000 feet in the air the night of the CAA Championship game.  I was on my way out west for a finalist interview at a school that is a part of a major university.  Especially after how I felt from the interview, there was a good chance that my life was about to radically change.

Exactly two weeks later after that interview, I was sitting in the stands, along with my son Matthew and my best friend Tieff, about to watch UMass take on Drexel in the NIT Quarterfinals.  I just happened to check my email during a break in the game.  I found out, despite apparently giving a really good interview, I did not get the job I so dearly wanted.

I showed the email to my friend Tieff and he could see the disappointment in my face.  He did his best to cheer me up.  But in a little while, I was OK.  My long time friend/mistress, college basketball, was there to console me.  I got wrapped up in the great atmosphere of the DAC and what turned out to be a very exciting game.

UMass would rally to win that game.  Though it was disappointing to have seen Drexel lose for their first time on their home court this season, the fact that I was able to see a great live college basketball game eased the pain I had felt.  Once again, when I needed it, college basketball was there for me.

The other thing I remember the most this season is the countless number of games I went to with "my color analyst", aka my soon to be seven year old son Matthew.  His love of college basketball started on my birthday last year, the memorable Charles Jenkins buzzerfest vs. William and Mary.  Matthew was so eager to start this season, he started asking me about Hofstra basketball in July.

He picked up right where he left off from last season.  Matthew went to all the Hofstra home games and a significant number of Iona games.  He even went on road trips to Fairfield to witness the crazy, but fun Jimmy Patsos of Loyola Md  face the evil, black curtain that adorns Webster Bank Arena.   He was there for the first road trip to Drexel, where he got to see the Bucks County Bungee Jumpers at halftime of the Hofstra-Drexel game.  And he was there to watch one of his favorite players, Givens, play his heart out in the loss to UMass.

I can't tell you how wonderful it was having "my color analyst" there with me for so many games.  By my count, Matthew went to thirty three games this season with me. His view of a basketball game was the subject of one of my articles.  Matthew's powers of observation in basketball are truly amazing and he remembers everything.  His love of basketball perhaps even surpasses mine and I loved the energy he brought with him to every game.

And that leads to the third and most important reason, the reason why I started writing this blog in December 2005.  It was about writing on one of my favorite subjects, a game that I have loved since my early teens, college basketball.   Thanks to college basketball, I got to spend countless hours of quality time with my older son.

My focus this past season was truly a mid major focus.  Based on the Mid Majority's criteria, I saw live fifty eight straight mid major games (though don't get me started about the Atlantic-10, which is to me a wannabee conference).  In the end though, the last live game was a Power Six conference NIT semifinal.  It was an ironic, yet cruel twist of fate for my end of the basketball season.  And in a fitting bit of irony, I left that game at haltime, the only game this season I didn't see to its conclusion.

But yet, in the end, it was a triumph.  Including me, there were one hundred and twenty two writers who wrote for the Mid Majority site.   Though it got a little close at the end, we surpassed eight hundred games with recaps (several writers wrote recaps for the same games).  There were so many good articles by so many writers and it was great to have been a part of that project.

I will say this though - Spending my non work free time covering fifty eight Division I men's games, two Divison III games and fifteen women's games was exhausting.  After I got back from my interview trip, I simply crashed that weekend.  As much as I love college basketball, it requires a lot of time to write for two sites (and yes, there is added time editing/writing for another site, even if it's the same recap).   I spent a lot of late nights and very early mornings writing over sixty plus game recaps for both sites (including the Division III games and some women's games).  And I have a full time job, folks.  I'm not complaining, just telling you the facts.

After my final interview at that major university's school, I really thought I had got the job.  The next day, as I took the shuttle to the airport for my flight home, I listened to my music on my IPhone, reflecting on this season.  I had mapped out the number of Division I colleges within what might have been my new location.  There were only three schools and only one was a mid major.   Part of me wondered how much college basketball I could watch and whether I would be okay scaling down my writing.

You see, it's kind of funny, but until this past season I didn't realize how many local teams were within a four hour drive here in Long Island. There are teams whose home games I wanted to see, like LIU and Marist, to name two, that I didn't have a chance to do because of scheduling.    Heck, I was able to see three college games in one day; Fordham vs. Xavier, Georgia State vs. Hofstra and Manhattan vs. Iona, all with a Hofstra theme.  New York is still the mecca of college basketball, no matter what the standings are.

And perhaps, it was the college basketball gods that decided I should stay in New York and not have that job so far west, where football is definitely the king sport at that university.  Perhaps the basketball gods want me to be at the Palestra (hopefully it's the Palestra) next March to see Drexel finally get their well deserved NCAA berth that was denied to them this season.  Perhaps, fate wants me to bring my son Matthew to see Hofstra play in the CAA Tournament.

When it all comes down to it, it was my mistress, college basketball, who refused to let me leave her.  I think she is saying "Right now, where you are is your home.  It's the home of me, college basketball, the one besides your family, that you love so much.  I need you here to write about me."

Yes, that sounds a little crazy, but you see, I have never played with a full deck.

So once again, for the eighth season, I will be writing for this site.  I will say this though;  The College Hardwood will have a different feel this next season.  I can't get into all the details now, but let's just say there will be more coverage.  When the details are more concrete, I will let you know.

However, this past season was special.  I saw more live games than I ever did.  My appreciation of New York City metro basketball has never been greater.  Thanks to that, I have made new friends like John Templon of Big Apple Buckets and Jaden Daly of Daly Dose of Hoops.  And I have the best basketball buddy a father could ever want.

So thank you Jen Ahearn, Kyle Whelliston and all the folks who inspired me to cover fifty eight mid major games (I didn't get the Drexel-UMass game in on their site, but it's on mine). I wouldn't have done it without your inspiration.  It was really cool to be a part of a successful, fun project.

If you are interested, here's my page on Mid Majority's site with the fifty seven game recaps.

Special thanks to Tony Bozzella, Nick Guerriero, Mo Cassara, John Mateyko, Jim Fiore and Rob Washburn (and all the folks at CAA Sports) for all their kindness and generosity this past season.

Most importantly, for all of you who follow my site, my most heart felt thanks. Thank you for making this past season the best ever as far as page views for this site.  I truly hope you enjoyed the articles from the 2011-12 season.




What the 2012-13 season brings, who knows.  It's another challenge, another year of fun.  Won't you join me in November for all of that?  I know "my color analyst" will.

Till then, keep "Running Against the Wind".  It's all we can do.


Best Always,


Gary Moore
Author/Founder of the College Hardwood

UMass Falls Short at "Home" (Recap of UMass - Stanford NIT Semifinal)

Last week I was at the DAC to see UMass face Drexel in the NIT Quarterfinals.  With about sixteen minutes left in the game and the Dragons up seventeen, it seemed pretty certain there would be a little bit of Philly flavor at Madison Square Garden for the NIT Semifinals.  But the Minutemen went into a half court trap, shot seventy percent from the field in the second half and used a 26-7 run to go on and defeat the Dragons 72-70.

Considering the other NIT final four teams were Washington, Minnesota and UMass' opponent on Tuesday night, Stanford, it kind of figured from a geographical sense that the Minutemen would have the largest contingent at the World's Most Famous Arena.  But I wasn't prepared for the sea of maroon that made up most of the Garden crowd as I entered my seat in Section 118.

It was kind of fitting that MSG was transformed into a UMass home game, given the fact their first three NIT games were all on the road.  They first knocked off Mississippi State in overtime in the first round, then "upset" number one seed Seton Hall in the second round, then finally the stunning rally at Drexel last week.   But despite having the home crowd, the Minutemen still wore the road maroon uniforms since Stanford was the higher seed.

Now in the first of three ironic twists of fate for me on the evening, our seats ended up being in the only Stanford section at the Garden Tuesday night.  When I got to my seat along with my friends Tieff and Mal, the game was tied at nine as Chaz Williams hit all three of his free throws after being fouled on a three point attempt.  However, it would be a long while before I would see UMass tie the game again.

Stanford would take the lead on a jumper by Dwight Powell, who entered the game for Andrew Zimmerman, who, I'll be honest, models his appearance after the Geico Caveman spokesman.  After Terrell Vinson hit a three pointer to cut Stanford's lead to two, 16-14, the Cardinal went on a 10-0 run, thanks to a couple of threes and a couple of turnovers by the Minutemen.  Stanford was up 26-14 and the Cardinal fans in my section were, needless to say, quite happy.

This wasn't the same UMass team that I saw rally against Drexel the week before.  Instead of getting it inside to their bigs, like the terrific Vinson, they seemed too happy to either have Chaz Williams drive the lane or chuck up three pointers.  Nearly half of their thirty two shots in the first half, fifteen were three pointers.  They only hit on four of those.

One player in particular, reserve forward Freddie Riley, was firing up shots from all over the place.  It seemed like there was never a shot that Freddie didn't like to take. The problem was he wasn't hitting many of them.  Riley was two of seven from the field in the first half and one of five from beyond the arc.  Part of me was hoping that UMass Head Coach Derek Kellogg would go out and literally pull Riley off the court.

Down 28-19, the Minutemen did go on a 10-3 spurt to cut the lead to two, 31-29 with about four minutes left. In the second ironic twist of the night, Riley accounted for five of those points, as he hit his only two shots of the first half in that spurt.  UMass would enter the half only down three 36-33.  It seemed that momentum was on the side of the "home" team.

Both teams were mirror images of each other in the first twenty minutes.  UMass and Stanford had very long players.  In particular, the Minutemen's Raphaiel Putney seemed to have a nine foot wing span and he again showed a nice touch from the outside, burying two three pointers in the first half. Neither team shot the ball well.  UMass shot thirty seven percent while Stanford shot thirty three percent.  Thus there were a ton of rebounds in the first half.  UMass had twenty five rebounds and Stanford had twenty four.

At halftime, the three of us went out into the newly renovated MSG concourse.  I have to say the Garden folks did a magnificent job.  The concourse and the hallways are much, much wider.  In fact, they are so wide, they are wider than most of the concourse at Met Life Stadium.  Yes, a 20,000 seat basketball arena has a much wider concourse than an 82,000 seat football stadium.   

The food selection is also much better now at MSG.  Yes you have the standard hot dog, hamburger and fries fare.  But there is now now a lobster and shrimp roll stand (though closed), a sausage concession that sells cheese bratwurst and Carnegie Deli, which was my choice on the evening.  A turkey sandwich, piled high with meat, a warm knish and a large lemonade was my dinner.   Yes, it was about twenty five bucks.  But a Carnegie Deli turkey sandwich was much more filling than your standard small hot dog.

The second half was mostly a nip and tuck affair.  For the first sixteen minutes of the half, Stanford's largest lead was five points.   UMass would keep it close, mainly due to Williams, who scored twelve second half points, six more than any other Minutemen player.  However, UMass would only have the lead once, when Riley hit his only field goal of the second half, a three pointer that put the Minutemen up 50-49.

But Anthony Brown, who had thirteen of his career high eighteen points in the second half, drilled a three pointer to put Stanford up 52-50.  The Cardinal would not trail the rest of the way, despite committing ten second half turnovers.   This was due to UMass breaking out their half court trap midway through the second half, the same trap that helped rally them against Drexel last week.

This time, the Minutemen couldn't capitalize on those turnovers.  Williams hit two free throws to tie the game at fifty two with 7:18 left.  But after that, Stanford went on a 15-4 run over the next five plus minutes.   Duiring that span, UMass went ice cold from the field, missing eight of their nine field goal attempts.  Williams seemed out of control, missing on all three of his attempts in that span.

Stanford was up eleven, 67-56 with less than two minutes left.  The realization then finally hit me, the third ironic twist of fate. Based on the Mid Majority's criteria,  I was about to see my last game involving a mid major this season.  Fifty eight Division I games I had seen in person this season to this point. All of them had involved at least one mid major team (again based on Mid Majority's Criteria).  The other NIT semifinal pitted two Power Six conference teams.  My fifty eight game mid major streak was about to end.  The fifty ninth and last Division I game I would see live this season would be my only non mid major game.

Williams did his best to try to keep the Minutemen and the Mid Majority's last hope in the NIT alive by scoring six of his team's last eight points.   But it wasn't enough, Stanford went on to win 74-64.   The Cardinal had another thirty rebounds in the second half as they held UMass to thirty percent shooting from the field in the last twenty minutes.

Before the game had ended, a Stanford fan in the row in front of us, turned around and said "How many New Yorkers do you think will walk in to see a Stanford -Washington Championship game on Thursday?"  We all started laughing, knowing the answer.   The NCAA and the Garden's hopeful championship game cash cow, UMass, was being shown the exit door.

Stanford showed nice balance, with four scorers in double figures, led by Brown's eighteen. Josh Owens had fifteen points, Aaron Bright had thirteen and Chasson Randle had twelve points.  Meanwhile, for UMass, only Williams with nineteen points and Riley with ten had double figure.  Williams and Riley combined to shoot ten of twenty eight from the field.  Vinson, who was terrific against Drexel, only had eight points, ten less than he had against the Dragons.

Shortly after the buzzer had sounded, there was a mass exodus from the Garden seats of the folks in maroon. As Tieff, Mal and I went out to the concourse in search of ice cream, the ultimate comfort food, there seemed to be a Minuteman fan clad in team colors every two feet.   You saw the occasional Stanford, Minnesota or even the rare Washington fan.  They were though few and far between in a sea of UMass faithful.

So most of the 7500 in attendance were leaving unhappy.  It was a shame given the terrific turnout of support for their school.  Having attended many NIT games over the years at the Garden, it was definitely one of the best fan bases I ever saw for one team.

In the end though, it didn't matter.  When you shoot not even thirty four percent from the field on the game, it's hard to win, even at "home".

And last night, UMass didn't win at "home".